I keep hearing from social workers and case managers that “children are resilient.” What they seem to mean by this is that kids will rebound from traumatic situations and multiple placements and placement disruptions. I am struggling to accept this and find it hard to believe that kids keep on being “resilient” after so much transition and loss. Could you share your thoughts on this?

Can you describe the harm to the child when the department suddenly moves a school aged child from a home of over a year, where the child is bonded and attached? When given no transition-New school and new family all at once to live in a temporary home. And what can be done to help the child?

Dear Dena, My foster baby left over a year ago and I am still grieving... like my body physically aches when I think about her. I know foster care is temporary. I know reunification is the goal. But I didn’t anticipate the emotional toll it would take on me and my family when she left... or how long the grief would linger. I still feel like I am walking with a limp. How do I get through this?

I’m suffering from a broken heart and she hasn’t even left yet. My foster daughter that came to us at birth is now 17 months old... she leaves in 1 week and I can hardly function. How do I make it through the next week? And what do I do with myself after she goes?